The digital divide continues to result in inequitable healthcare and healthcare access — particularly for people with disabilities. Historically, people with disabilities have not been part of the conversation, let alone, involved in the development of healthcare technologies “from the ground up.” According to Dr. Brook Ellison, PhD, of Stony Brook University, it is estimated that 1 in 4 people either have short-term or long-term disabilities. People with disabilities often have complex medical and healthcare access needs that are not addressed.

Dr. Ellison, Valerie Mondelli of RevSpring, Kimberly Noel, MD MPH of 23andMe, and Jan Smith Reed of T-Base Communications, discuss how providing differently-enabled patients with bad technology effectively disables them, and how adaptive technologies can make a vast difference in access and quality of care.

Organizations must combat inequity by better meeting patients where they are. As healthcare leaders, we are only just beginning to understand the importance of inclusivity when conducting a structural assessment of your institution’s readiness for doctors and patients with disabilities. As organizations struggle to support clinicians’ mental health and address burnout post-pandemic, it is important to explore ways to make the profession accessible to physicians with disabilities. Dr. Poullos, founder and Co-Chair of the Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition (SMAC), a group composed of people with disabilities and their allies at Stanford Medicine, shares his vision for a digitally-enabled inclusive healthcare system and how organizations can combat inequity by better meeting patients where they are.